Closed-conduit electric railway.



No. 657,3". Patented Sept. 4, I900.

L. DION. CLOSED GONDUIT ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

(Application filed Mar. 6, 1899.)

(No Model.)

m: Norms Pawns co. m cro-mun. WASHINGTON. n. q.

UNITED STATES LEon DION, on Bos oN, MASSACHUSETTS.

.ATE T- q cLosEo-ooNourr ELECITRIC RAILWAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 657,311, datedSeptember 4, 1900.

A lication filed March 6, 1899. 3

To all whom'itmay concern:

Be it known that I, LEON DION, of Boston,

in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Closed-Conduit Electric Railways,of which the following is a specification. I

This invention relates to closed-conduit electric-railway systems inwhich amagnet carried by the car is used as a means for energizing thesurface conductor.

The invention has forits object to improve the construction-of theconduit and the inclosed parts; and. it consists in the novel featuresof construction and arrangement which I shall now proceed to describeand claim.

Of the accompanying drawings,'Figure 1 represents a cross-section of aroadway, showing a conduit constructed in accordance with my invention.Fig. 2 represents a longitudinal section thereof. Fig. 3 represents asimilar section, on an enlarged scale, showing the car-magnet andcollecting-shoe. Figs. 4 to 11, inclusive, represent sectional and planviews, showing several modifications in the construction of the surfaceconductor.

The arrangement shown in Fig. 3 differs slightly from that shown in Fig.2in that the conductive studs, hereinafter referred to, are placedcloser together in Fig. 3 than in Fig. 2, and thecollecting-shoe shownin Fig. 3 is shorter than would be required with the conduit in Fig. 2.

The same reference characters indicate th same parts in all the figures.

Referring to the drawings, a designates the roadway, which may be of anysuitable or approved construction. I) b designate the carsupportingrails, and c c designate cross-ties supporting said rails. In the middleof the roadway and supported on saidties is a plank or stringer 0,supporting the conduit. 'The latter is constructed with aninverted-troughshaped' outer casingf, made up'of independent insulatedsections, preferably composed of a non-magnetic metal, such as manganesesteel. Inside of the casing is a main cond uctor h, supported byhorizontalinsulating-pieces 'i t', and flanked by verticalinsulating-pieces t" z". Overlying the main conductor h is an auxiliaryconductor j, composed of independ- Serial No. 707,859. N -l ent flexiblebands or strips of a magnetic metal, such as soft iron. The sections ofthe said auxiliary conductorj lie loosely on the main conductor h, andthe ends of the sections are separated by T-shapedseparators 0', whichhave flat tops 3 and stems 2 fitting in slots h in the main conductor h.The object of these separators is to prevent longitudinal displacementof the sections of the auxiliary conductor, and at the same time topermit the latter to rise and fall with great freedom under theinfluence of the car-magnet. Said separators may be composed of anon-magnetic material, such as brass or bronze.

The surface cond uctorf is, as shown in the drawings, buried beneath thesurface of the roadway, the material of the roadway, which may beasphalt or other road-making material, covering the conduit on threesides. At intervals the surface conductor f is provided withupwardly-projecting conductive studs f f which are preferably castintegrally with the several sections of the said conductor and extendslightly above the surface of the roadway. These studs or members mayhave various forms. I11 Figs. 4 and 5 a cupped or hollow cylindricalstud f is shown. Figs. 6 and 7 show a variation of this form in theshape of a stud f which is C-shaped in horizontal section. Figs. Sand 9show astud having an elongated vertical portion f with lateralprojections f on its top edge, the whole making a plan in the form of across. Figs. 10 and 11 show a stud f of elongated form without thelateral projections. The object of these several modifications is toreduce the amount of metal, while providing for sufficient conductor jiselevated in turn, a loop bein formed beneathithe magnet m, :as ."hawll iin 5 Fig 3, and when the car passes onto the next "section of theauxiliary conductmithei pjze ceding section fallsfinto its normalposition u onjtop of "the main conductor h, and the,

s'ectionsofithe .s urfaceconductor ;are there 'by me conc'nrrentlywiththis. i

[by successively energized and d'energi'zed. 1 When the ends of twoadjoining sections-of the auxiliaryconductor rise underthe in-, fiuence.of the magnet m, itheycatry with t m i hesepa ato andwhenisaidxends-ffalli after the magnet"lhas passed ;the separator] ilanx iliary conductorcom posed-of'independent I bvimis matthegcondnitandpinclosed part-s constructed in accordance Withptesentinvention maybe employed in con nection with magnets andcollecting-shoesof forms other than those shown in thedrawdescendshy itsown weight.

in'gs'and herei'nbefore described.

Ido not hereiniclaim a' magnetcarriedhy v thegcar and inclosed' in aprotective hollow casing whichlcarries atits lowerend..a-eo1-.1ecting-shoe,fa;,s thesame forms-the. subjctfof another application,Serial No. ,70.7,', 857efiled I Claim- 1. ;In anelectric-railway.system, .aclQSed V conduit having an upperconductorlocated beneath the surface of the roa dway, anda series ofconductive members projecting from material; I

v3. ,In an electric-railway system,: a' closed co duit, .a mai conductortherein, d a f anxiliary con'd-nctorico'mpos'ed of independentIatintervalls.

I p cgs'asuf said cond uctoreat-i n'terval s an d h g th ei r f2. Infanelectric-railway system, a closed conduit haying an upper lconductorlocated beneath the surface of the roadway; and a series ofconductivemembers projcting from saidcond'nc torat intervals-and havingtheir ends located above the road way-surface,said members ibeing'iconposed, f non-magnetic flfiltipsdfnii'agneticematerial overlying the mainconductor, and movable separating memhersinterposed betweenztheiends ofsaid strips.

eondniti a main conductor therein, and an tweenztheendsof said strips. 1

In an:electric-railwaysystem,.a closed cond'iiitlhaivjng a sectionalnpperco'nduetor composed of material not. subject to magneticattraetion, andaseries of conduc'tivemembersprojectin g 11 ard] yfromsaid conductor- ,In testimony whereof Ihave affixed m signatnre' inptesenceofi twowitnesses.

LEON DioN.

V Witnesses: 3 a

p ,R; M, PIERSON, 0. F. BROWN.

4; 11h, an gelectrictrailway system; a' closed

